X-CAPE OPEN DAY

FROM LANGA/ GUGULETHU/ KHAYELITSHA TO STELLENBOSCH


SATURDAY 31 MARCH, 10AM - 4PM & AFTERPARTY TILL LATE


X-CAPE is an artist-led programme of activities by artists and cultural practitioners from across Cape Town and SA, to coincide with the CAPE 07 art event from 24 March – 02 May, 2007. X-CAPE showcases over 280 artists in 60 venues across 14 suburbs in the Cape Town Unicity. Venues include galleries, museums, public spaces, restaurants, bars, studios, community centres, and websites. The programme has 86 visual art exhibitions, 50 films, 15 new media/multimedia works, 5 workshops, 25 performances and 30 collectives participating, pulling out all the stops!

Due to the overwhelming content from participants, X-CAPE has featured three Open Day Circuits to give visitors a chance to meet the artists, see the works and absorb at one’s own leisure.

The first X-CAPE Open Day Circuit starts at 10:00, on Saturday 31 March, a suggested route is to start off in Langa where Tamsin Relly takes her spontaneous real-time portraiture practice to Guga‘Sthebe Cultural Centre where visitors can participate by sitting for a portrait or contributing to the project journal. Moving to Kwa Mlamli’s shebeen at NY146 in Gugulethu you can see the Gugulective exhibition, a creative crossover between political activism, culture and everyday life that fired the Drum era (or meet us here later for the after party, performances beginning at 4pm until late).

Onwards to Khayelitsha, stop at photographer Damien Schumann’ s Dialogues, an intimate photographic portrait exhibition (on World TB Day) of 14 Tuberculosis patients and their stories. Don’t miss the dynamic celebration of Khayelitsha’s creative spirit at The Khwela Art Festival (Manyanani Peace Park) a “creative boiling pot” presenting more than 15 artists working in all creative media from dance and music to design. Nearby at Look Out Hill a theme-based group exhibition entitled ReCenter explores notions of centre/periphery featuring well-known artists, Garth Erasmus, Randolph Hartzenberg, Xolile Mtakatya, Mario Pissarra, Ernestine White & Donovan Ward

From Khayelitsha visitors can move to Stellenbosch to see Landscapes of Love, an exhibition by photographers Lien Botha, Jac de Villiers and Angéle Etoundi Essamba, curated by Amanda Botha. Chris Wait will be presenting two documentary films from 1-2pm at the Sasol Art Museum lecture room depicting the life and views of people living in communities on the edge of a fast developing, modern town. Down the road you can stop at Zest restaurant for a refresher and view Recent Absa L'Atelier Award finalist Marieke Kruger before going to the Dorp Street Gallery for a group show of selected contemporary Stellenbosch artists.

Watch out for the roving performance interventions: Organism, the art flash-mob, part rhizomic social manoeuvre are using military swarm tactics in Infest Cape, also expect to see Queen Elizabeth II on the streets performed by Happenstance and the phank group wearing protest t-shirts for What Is Actually Happening Here.

The Circuit ends at 16:00 when you can join us all for “pap en vleis” and a jol at Kwa Mlamli’s Place in Gugs, a hip up-and-coming shebeen for the casual and the chilled, alongside the exhibition by the Gugulective. The Open Day bash features the famous DJ Planet Earth, spinning African hip-hop and smooth dance, epic verses from Gugs spoken-word master Elnino, and hard-hitting rhymes from up and coming poet Khanyisile Mbongwa (Mintho).

X-CAPE not to be missed - creative energy, people and the talent of CAPE 07.

For more details (maps, contact details, addresses) and the full listing programme of all X-CAPE participants and events please visit www.capeafrica.org/xcape_programme.html.

Please note that not all the venues included in the circuit are listed in this press release – please see the website for the complete listings.

Disclaim: Despite our best efforts we cannot guarantee the correctness and completeness of this information. Please contact the individual event organisers and venues (listed on the website) for updates and additional information.


For more information please contact:

X-CAPE Co-ordinator: Robert Robson
xcape@capeafrica.org



CAPE Africa Platform,
71 Buitengracht Street, Cape Town, South Africa
PO Box 15806, Vlaeberg, 8018, South Africa
(tel) +27 (0) 21 488 3064
(fax) +27 (0) 21 488 3061